Practical management of adverse events related to apomorphine therapy

- Adverse events are often cited as a barrier to the use of apomorphine therapy.
- Most adverse effects are manageable if reported and tackled early enough.
- We review the key adverse effects and provide practical management strategies.

The potential for adverse events is often cited as a barrier to the use of subcutaneous apomorphine therapy (intermittent injections and continuous infusion) in the management of Parkinson's disease. However, with proactive management most adverse effects are manageable if reported and tackled early enough. As such, proper clinician and patient awareness of the potential adverse effects is important to minimize their impact on the overall clinical utility of this efficacious antiparkinsonian agent. In this paper, we review the key local and systemic adverse effects reported during apomorphine titration, initiation and long-term treatment, and discuss practical management strategies.